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ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

apparatus. This is particularly observed in the digestive organs; thequantity of intestinal mucus, of bile, of saliva, of mucus of the mouth,and probably of pancreatic liquid, being augmented. The alvine dis-charges become more liquid, and contain a larger proportion of bile.The operation of the medicine does not stop here: the pulmonary, urino-genital, and conjunctival membranes, become moister,the mane is increasedin quantity, the catamenial discharge is sometimes brought on, the skinbecomes damper and at the same time warmer. The absorbent or lym-phatic system seems also to be stimulated to increased activity; for wefrequently observe that the accumulations of fluid in the shut sacs (asthe pleura, the peritoneum, the arachnoid, and synovial membranes)diminish in quantity, and in some cases rapidly disappear. At the sametime, also, glandular swellings and indurations of various kinds are dis-persed. These are the cases in which the mercurials are called altera-tives —that is, they indirectly induce healthy action in a very slow,gradual, and incomprehensible manner.

When our object is to obtain the sialogogue operation of mercurials, wegive them in somewhat larger doses. To a certain extent the effects arethe same as those already mentioned, but more intense. Of all the secre-tions, none are so uniformly and remarkably augmented as those of themucous follicles of the mouth and the salivary glands ; and the increasedsecretion of these parts is accompanied with more or less tenderness andinflammation, the whole constituting what is termed salivation orptyalism (salivatio , ptyalismus, sialismus). The first symptoms of thisaffection are slight tenderness and tumefaction of the gums, which acquirea pale rose colour, except at the edges surrounding the teeth, where theyare deep red. Gradually the mouth becomes exceedingly sore, and thetongue much swollen; a coppery taste is perceived, and the breath ac-quires a remarkable foetidity. The salivary glands soon become tenderand swollen ; the saliva and mucus of the mouth flow abundantly, some-times to the extent of several pints in the twenty-four hours. Duringthis state, the fat is rapidly absorbed, and the patient becomes exceed-ingly emaciated. The blood when drawn from a vein puts on the sameappearance as it does in inflammatory diseases.

The quantity of saliva and buccal mucus discharged by patients underthe influence of mercury, varies according to the quantity of the medicineemployed, the susceptibility of the patient, &c. Formerly salivation wascarried to a much greater extent than it is at the present day. ThusBoerhaave ( Aphorismi ) considers a patient should spit three or fourpounds in twenty-four hours; and Turner ( Pract. Dissert, on the Ven.Disease, 1737) says from two to three quarts are “ a good and sufficientdischarge.” Modem experience has shewn that all the good effects ofmercurials may be gained by a very slight affection of the mouth.Several analyses have been made of saliva from patients under the in-fluence of mercury. Fourcroy, Thomson, Bostock, and Devergie, failedto detect the least trace of mercury in it. But some other persons havebeen more successful, as will be hereafter mentioned. The following arethe constituents of saliva during mercurial ptyalism, according to Dr.Thomson ( Annal. of Phil. vi. 397):—